black beans

Simple Black Bean and Sweet Potato Salad

My marathon training has definitely been an adventure. If it is not one thing it seems to be another thing going on and my plans just  have disappeared. I’m trying my best but it seems as though time is just slipping away. Then again maybe it is just because i’m a grown up now and time moves fast the older you get. There is one thing that is not getting past me while i’m training, it is my nutrition. I am doing my best to eat as healthy as I can. It’s easy to say, well I just burned XXX calories I can eat whatever I want but in the end it catches up to you. I don’t know about you but when I eat like crap I can tell in my run. I will never be the girl that can eat whatever without it affecting me in some way or form. Thankfully I have an arsenal recipes that I can turn to like Simple Black Bean and Sweet Potato Salad.

Simple Black Bean and Sweet Potato Salad | country Girl Gourmet

This recipe is very simple to make and the flavors all go very well together. It is a favorite of mine to have during the week to have for lunch. Even my homeschooling 13 year old likes it. The recipe is also vegan and gluten free making it a healthy option that many can enjoy. You simply roast some diced sweet potatoes and then when they are done throw in a bowl with onion, black beans, cilantro and toss with some lime juice and olive oil and some salt and pepper. Can it get any easier?  This recipe takes about 45 minutes to make and the majority of that time is waiting on the sweet potato to roast.

So there you go one of the many ways I try to eat healthy while training for my first marathon, Simple Black Bean and Sweet Potato Salad. It is simple easy and best of all tasty. Plus you are getting a healthy dose of carbs to fuel your run and protein and antioxidants that help with muscle recovery.

What do you eat while you are training?

Cheesy BBQ Rice Bites

Back a few months ago I was asked by Allrecipes to create a kid friendly recipe with Uncle Ben’s Rice. I was honestly stumped. I had no clue what to make at all. We eat rice all the time, it is a huge part of my gluten free life but we keep it simple. The majority of the time we eat it plain with just a bit of butter, other times as mexican rice of fried rice. We really get adventurous. Then the lightbulb went off in my head, I could come up with something for our family fun night and after that Cheesy BBQ Rices Bites were born.

Cheesy BBQ Rice Bites |Country Girl Gourmet

Every Friday night we have a family fun night. We started the tradition well over 5 years ago. We eat pizza and/or snack foods and get a redbox movie. My days of having pizza are pretty much over and I typically have to come up with something gluten free for myself. The majority of the time my kids end up asking for some of whatever I have and since i’m a nice mom I share. I remembered seeing quinoa bites on Pinterest in the past and I knew of the larger and fried Arancini (rice balls) but I had never seen a recipe for any type of smaller bite size rice snack. So I started experimenting and I came up with Cheesy BBQ Rice Bites and my kids keep asking for me to make them!

Cheesy BBQ Rice Bites |Country Girl Gourmet

The cast of characters for this recipe couldn’t be simpler. Rice, BBQ in sauce, black beans, cheese and to help hold it together an egg. Five simple ingredients!  Your BBQ can be homemade or premade. If you have leftover pork roast shred it up and add your favorite BBQ sauce. Chicken can be used in place of pork too. For the rice you can use leftover rice or an Uncle Ben’s Rice Pouch. I’m telling you this recipe is quick and easy! After you mix all your ingredients together, scoop into a min muffin pan and bake 20 minutes. Then cool and enjoy. Make them for your family! They will thank you!

Does your family do a family fun night? What kinds of things do you do?

Cheesy BBQ Rice Bites
 
Author:
 
Easy to make, versatile, and kid-approved cheesy BBQ rice bites are perfect for after school snacks or as an appetizer at your next get together."
Ingredients
  • 1 (8.8 ounce) pouch UNCLE BEN'S® Ready Rice® Original Long Grain
  • 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1½ cups prepared pulled pork in barbeque sauce
  • 1½ cups shredded Cheddar-Monterey Jack cheese blend
  • 2 eggs
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Spray mini muffin tin cups with cooking spray.
  2. Prepare rice according to package directions. Allow to cool slightly. Combine rice, black beans, barbeque pulled pork, cheese, and eggs in a bowl; mix well.
  3. Drop mixture by heaping tablespoons into prepared mini muffin tins, filling each cup to the top.
  4. Bake in preheated oven until hot, about 20 minutes.
  5. Allow bites to cool 10 minutes before popping them out of the muffin tin.

 Find my recipe on Allrecipes.com

Cheesy BBQ Rice Bites |Country Girl Gourmet